Communications and Technology Alert: Budget Reconciliation Bill Signed; Tentative July Open Meeting Agenda; Criminal Liability Public Notice; Public Safety Communications Hearing [Volume XXII, Issue 27]
Budget Reconciliation Bill Signed into Law
The House of Representatives voted 218-214 to advance the revised budget reconciliation bill, which was subsequently signed into law on July 4th by President Trump. The communications subtitle of the bill remains unchanged, which reauthorizes the Commission’s spectrum authority through September 30, 2024, and tasks the agency with identifying 500 MHz of frequencies for shared federal and non-federal use. The bill also instructs the Commission to engage in competitive bidding for 300 MHz of additional spectrum, with no less than 100 MHz in the band between 3.98 and 4.2 GHz being auctioned in the next two years. The bill does not include federal funding for NG911 services and deployments, as proposed amendments were rejected for inclusion in the subtitle. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202-434-4271).
Chairman Carr Announces Tentative July Open Meeting Agenda
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the Commission will tentatively consider six items during the July Open Meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 24th. The agenda includes orders and rulemaking which streamline the pole attachment process, including new advance written notice and confer requirements for larger pole attachment orders, waivers for failure to provide such notice, and setting timelines for survey and make ready deadlines. The Commission may also consider revisions to the Truth-in Billing and Slamming rules, 988 Lifeline routing, AWS-3 competitive bidding procedures, copper line transition processes, and procedures for a Direct Final Rule allowing the Commission to repeal rules as “outdated or obsolete.” For more information, please contact Tom Magee (Magee@khlaw.com; 202-434-4128) or Sean Stokes (stokes@khlaw.com; 410.458.1342).
FCC Publishes Notice on Criminal Liability for Regulatory Offenses
The Commission released a Public Notice outlining general policies describing how and when certain regulatory offenses will garner criminal liability, in response to President Trump’s Executive Order 14924 titled “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations.” The notice states that the Commission will deliver a report on May 9, 2026, detailing a list of criminal regulatory offenses as well as potential penalties for each violation. In developing the list, the Commission will consider a wide variety of factors, including the harm of the offense, the level of specialized industry knowledge, and awareness of the unlawful conduct. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202-434-4271).
House Subcommittee Schedules Public Safety Communications Hearing
Last week, the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee announced that a hearing would be scheduled for July 9th at 10:00 AM EST to address the landscape of public safety communications across the United States. In the press release from Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), the committee hopes to consider new advancements to emergency responses, such as the FirstNet responder network. The committee will release a list of speakers and the agenda closer to the scheduled date. For more information, please contact Wes Wright (wright@khlaw.com; 202.434.4239) or Tim Doughty (doughty@khlaw.com; 202-434-4271).
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